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March 17 2015
10 years, how it seems
so recent but yet so much has gone on
We think of you everyday Kevin
We love you and miss you
March 17 2008
It has been 3 years today, the Olson family would like to thank everyone for their continued thoughts and
prayers.
Mon, September 11, 2006
Calgarian Honoured
Tribute paid to fallen firefighters
By BILL
LAYE, CALGARY SUN
To the strains of the Last Post, thousands of people -- including the family of a Calgary man killed in a Yellowknife blaze
-- took time to remember the firefighters who've died while helping others.
The ceremony, held yesterday on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, was to honour this country's more than 800 fallen firefighters,
including six who died in the line of duty in 2005.
Calgarian Christina Koy, whose brother Kevin Olson perished that year after a burning hardware store's roof collapsed on
him, said receiving a memorial medal with his name engraved on it was hard.
"As soon as they brought the medal forward it was pretty emotional," Koy said yesterday from Ottawa.
"It was really beautiful ... they honoured those six guys really well."
Olson, 24, died March 17, 2005, just 10 days after starting in Yellowknife, while Cyril Fyfe, an 18-year department veteran,
died later in hospital of injuries he sustained in the blaze.
Safety charges were laid against the City of Yellowknife and its top fire officials in connection with the deaths.
As a crowd of more than 2,000 firefighters, family members and the public bowed their heads yesterday, a trumpeter played
the Last Post, followed by three fire bells -- the symbolic ringing of the Last Alarm.
Koy said she and her family were particularly grateful when Public Security Minister Stockwell Day, the event's keynote
speaker, chatted with them and passed on greetings from Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"Stockwell Day told us his thoughts were with us -- and the prime minister was thinking about us -- and he knew about my
brother's story," Koy said.
"He was sincere and made a special point of coming to talk to us."
For more information on the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation, log on at www.cfff.ca.
One year Anniversary is upon us
As the 1 year
anniversary of Kevin’s death is approaching, Christina and Teri (Kevin’s sisters) will travel to Yellowknife to attend
a memorial service that will put on by Yellowknife Fire Dept. Rick Koy (Christina's fiance) will also join the girls
as a family member and CFD member. He will take part in the ceremony. They will all be able to visit the site
where the fire was and reflect upon everything that has happened over the past year.
Read the latest
headlines
Birthday Party Celebration
On January 27, 2006 the Olson family along with some of Kevin’s friends organized a birthday party to celebrate Kevin’s life.
Kevin would have turned 25 on January 27th. It was held at Coyotes and was such a huge success we will most likely
make it an annual event. The support was outstanding and we raised over $2000.00 for the Kevin Olson Memorial Fund. Thank
you to all who helped make it a success!!
September 16 & 17
Kevin
was honoured at the IAFF Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Colorado Springs.
Nearly
600 Honour Guard,Pipers and Drummers took part in the ceremony as well as a procession of 40 fire apparatus.
View pictures
View the story
Canadian
Fallen Firefighters Memorial
September
11th, 2005 - The annual Canadian
Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony took place at Parliament Hill to honour Canadian Firefighters who
have died in the line of duty. Special honorees will be those who gave their lives in 2004 and their families.
Visit website
September
9th & 10th 2005
Kevin's
family was invited to Edmonton for the Strathcona Fire Departments New Fallen Firefighter
Memorial. Families of Fallen FFers were invited to lay wreaths at the site and partake in the ceremony.
Read full story
The
Fire Services Journal
August
2005 - Kevin's oldest sister Christina and her Fiance, Calgary Firefighter Rick Koy wrote an article for the Fire Services
Journal which was published in Volume 8 # 4 page 18.
We
received the hard print of the magazine but you can also view it online. Click on page 18.
Calgary Firefighters Ball
June 11, 2005- Kevin's family was invited as VIP guests to the CFD Firefighters Ball at the Telus Convention Centre.
A
tribute speech by CFD's union president Scott Wilcox to Kevin's family was given and was extremely touching to us all.
Kevin's
Dad Brent presented the acting CFD Chief and union president both with custom drawings that the family had done up by a professional
artist. The picture is titled "Remembering
a Brother"
Print
is viewable here Memorial Fund
Red Mile in Denial
The Red Mile Denial Party held on May 14 at Classic Jacks was a great success. The sell out crowd all dressed in Flames
attire had a blast and along with donations and the silent auction we were able to raise over $2000 to the Kevin Olson Memorial
Fund.
Thank you to the Calgary Flames Organization and the Calgary Stampede board for their silent auction donations and thanks
to all those who attended.
There will definetly be another event next year so keep checking back for details.
Memorial Tree to Honour Kevin
Memorial trees planted in Calgary for officers, fire fighters killed on duty
May 20, 2005 -
CALGARY (CP) -- Memorial trees were planted Thursday, May 13, at Calgary's Stampede Park to honour fire
fighters and police officers killed in the line of duty, including the four Mounties gunned down earlier this year in an ambush
on a northern Alberta farm and a fire fighter killed in Yellowknife after a roof collapse.
Kelly Johnston, whose husband Const. Leo Johnston was one of those killed in Mayerthorpe, Alta., on March 3, said she will
find comfort in the park where a tree with her husband's picture now stands.
"I can come here and see the trees and that keeps Leo alive," said Johnston who drove to Calgary from Mayerthorpe for the
ceremony.
"It's nice to see that so many people here are putting positive energy into giving new life. By planting trees, they're
honouring and respecting the lives and sacrifices of those who have fallen."
Others honoured in Thursday's ceremony included:
Cpl. Jim Galloway, an RCMP dog handler who was killed in a 2004 standoff with an armed gunman in Spruce Grove, Alta.;
Supt. Dennis Massey, who died in 2002 when a trailer carrying a 2,000-litre propane tank unhitched from its truck and slammed
into his sedan;
Firefighter Kevin Olson, who died fighting the first fire of his career in Yellowknife earlier this year,
and:
Morley James, killed fighting a 1992 hotel fire in Calgary.
RCMP Supt. R.J.B. Boyd, district commander for southern Alberta, said the support of the 100 people who attended the ceremony
is what gives the families of fallen officers the strength to carry on.
"These trees stand as tall and strong as the members of our force," he said.
Lt.-Gov. Norman Kwong said the eight men gave their lives because they cared about the public good.
"We are so fortunate to have such young men and women protecting us and so sad that some of them have fallen in the line
of duty," he said. "May the trees we plant today stand for decades as a testament to all they have accomplished."
(Calgary Sun)
Video of Tree Planting Ceremony at Stampede Park, courtesy of Shaw Cable
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